Thai Tattoos

Looking for a traditional Buddhist Thai tattoo? Perhaps you want a muay thai tattoo for protection? Our guide to Thai tattoos gives you the facts & information you want to know.

For centuries, people around the world have had their bodies adorned with tattoos. Thai tattoos are usually images of dragons for protection. Also symbolizing rank and bravery, pledges of love and protection, they have also been placed on outcasts and slaves and to indicate membership of different cultures or villages.

In the present day, we now have a twist on that same tradition with the tattooing of members of criminal gangs. Who have symbols that represent which gang they belong to, or to identify their status in the gang.

The decoration of tattoos is now a big trend among teenagers that can range from small butterflies for girls and macho styles for the boys. The Thai tattoo has become big business and the trend is something similar to other fashion accessories, only perhaps a little more personal.

Muay Thai Tattoos

The ancient martial art of musy thai is becoming increasingly popularon the international stage and every year more and more people are coming to Thailand to train at one of the thousands of muay thai camps in the country. It has recently become popular for many tourists who want to take home a permenant momento of their experiences in Thailand to get muay thai tattoos. These can range from a picture of a muaythai fighter to a more traditional tattoo for protection involving mathematical calculations which is usually only done by a monk.

Thai Buddhist Tattoos

Religion and magical symbols have become fashionable skin adornments. In Thailand, this is a stylish way to express your passion for everything from a rock band to your latest girlfriend.

Thai tattoos these days have become works of art from beautiful women draped over the body to wavy haired stallions standing stern and robust. You can also create your own tattoo now the artists perform their magic as you watch your design take shape.
Thai tattoos on the other hand have a history of protection including dragons; this is more of a symbolic tradition and it is said that evil will pass by the wearer of the tattoo.

The colors in the past were made from different flowers and plants. Modern tattoos are made with a huge range of colors that are manufactured from inks producing more vibrant colors for the artist to work with, also lasting longer for a sharper effect.
More and more women are getting tattoo’s in Thailand these days. In the West usually small and visible to the eye often on the behind or at the top of the thigh, or at the base of the spine.

Tattoo equipment has changed considerably from the traditional way of creating Thai tattoos which involved bone needles. Nowadays sophisticated machinery is used and colors are no longer restricted to basic black color. Designs have been replaced by colorful arts and sometimes now cover the whole body, not just the arms and legs.

Traditional tattoo’s have definitions and symbolic meanings; the rose represents purity of the soul, true love is in the color of a pink rose, as red rose symbolizes passion.

Tribal Thai tattoos are the most famous style in Thailand going back centuries, they explain the work and expectations of the people and changes could be seen in the colors and pigments of the designs.

Thai tattoos of dragons generally worn on the back chest and arms symbolize strength, so are worn for protection.